Earlier this week – Sunday, to be exact – we polled you, the readers (and fans) of Noontime Sports (and NoontimeSports.com) about our content on Twitter (thank you to everyone that voted, by the way!).

And one particular poll we posted asked our readers and fans the following:

Would you like to see more high school coverage (here in Massachusetts), along with our New England NCAA Division III basketball and football coverage?

The answer was a pretty confident ‘yes!’

So, we’re excited to team-up this spring with Mass. High School Lax (@Mass_LaxHS) to provide game coverage from various Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) boy’s and girl’s lacrosse games over the next few weeks and months.

We’re excited to kick-off a brand new season of high school lacrosse here in Massachusetts and welcome suggestions for games to cover, feature stories or ideas of how we can provide unique and enjoyable coverage for you the reader. Please feel free to contact us at NoontimeSports@gmail.com.

DUXBURY, MA — Duxbury high school varsity lacrosse made short work of Framingham on Friday afternoon in the first round of the Div. I state tournament, 16-3.

Coming off a bye during the preliminary round, Duxbury (20-2) showed no signs of what coach Chris Sweet worried about.

“I knew we’d have to shake off some rust, and we came out and just really delivered to start,” said Sweet.

The away team barely had time to get oriented in the game when they found themselves down 4-0.

With players like Sam Sweet, Seamus Connelly and Will Siefert pacing the offense, (all had multiple goals), there was little Framingham could do, overwhelmed by customary Duxbury precision.

“We looked sharp from the start, which is a good sign,” noted Sweet. “I was pleased.”

By halftime, the score had skyrocketed to 12-2.

Much of Duxbury’s advantage in the game could be tied to their dominance of face-offs. Henry Narlee helped the Dragons beat the Flyers to 12 out of 17 face-offs, igniting incessant attacks, which wore down the opposition.

After a frenetic opening two quarters, things settled down for a more languid second half.

Duxbury continued to play their regular players for a time, before giving way to the bench, though they still won the second half, 4-2.

The final score ended 16-3when it was over.

Sweet noted that part of the difficulty at this point for his star-laden team is not looking past early round opposition.

“I think part of the tradition here at Duxbury is that the seniors here know this time of year. You have to make some sacrifices and make smart choices,” explained Sweet.

And he also acknowledged the impressive crowd that turned up to watch.

“It’s playoff time here in Duxbury, and everyone gets excited,” said Sweet.

Yet he refuses, along with his team, to get carried away.

When asked how he thinks this current crop of skilled seniors will be remembered, he said quickly, “Ask me after the playoffs.”

“Hopefully,” he added breaking into a smile, “we make it to the state championship.”

MARSHFIELD, MA – Wednesday afternoon’s boy’s lacrosse tournament game between Marshfield and Framingham had everything you could want: tension, great plays, great goaltending, and a flair for the dramatic.

It wasn’t until 27 remained on the clock in the second overtime that the Flyers defeated the Rams, 7-6.

This was a game in which Framingham never trailed. The Flyers got three goals from Joe Igoe and two more from Mike Stearns. The duo tallied quick scores in the third quarter after Marshfield had cut the lead to one. But once Framingham got its three-goal lead in the third quarter, the rest of the scoring in regulation belonged to the home team. The Rams scored once in the third and twice more in the fourth to tie the game at six.

The overtime periods were filled with tense play – with players fighting for loose balls left and right. The flyers goal in the closing seconds of the second OT period sends them to the next round, where they’ll face top-seeded Duxbury on Friday.

Wellesley (14-3) appeared to be the stronger team for a majority of the afternoon, but it was the home team, Newton North (11-4), which got the first effort on goal. Although, after the early nerves settled, it was the visitors from Wellesley, who opened the scoring behind midfielder Brian Pedersen.

Within minutes, the Raiders doubled their lead behind another midfielder by the name of Oliver Saffery, who executed a perfect catch and shoot into the lower third of the goal.

“I was really happy with our offense,” said Wellesley head coach Rocky Batty. “They did a couple of the things we’ve been working on for the last few weeks. They clicked a lot more.”

Yet it was Wellesley’s defense which accounted for much of the early success.

“I thought the defense played really well today,” noted Batty. “Guys were coming off the field tired, but that just meant they left it on the field. I thought the entire unit on the defense played big today.”

And even when Newton North managed to snipe a random shot, Wellesley goalie Connor Darcey was ready.

Darcey exhibited his customary versatility against Tigers throughout the game. Still, it was his work as a goalie, which made the difference.

Shot after Newton shot was turned away, and his distribution was well taken too, igniting counterattacks.

But Batty was quick to credit his defense as a whole.

“He is as valuable as the defense in front of him is, and that’s the reality. We weigh them all equally. Connor Darcy’s fantastic, he’ll tell you himself, but he sees shots he can save,” added Batty.

Right at the end of the half, Wellesley exhibited a great move that involved Pedersen, who found John Caraviello, who in-turn found attacker Peter Crane for the score.

The movement came so quickly and fluidly that Crane was nearly wide-open, and he predictably buried the ball in the net, leaving only nine seconds on the clock.

The second half began with renewed vigor from Newton North, who pelted Darcey with a series of shots.

“Newton North is a very, very good team,” said Batty. “They challenged us.”

Darcey, however, was more than up to the challenge, saving time and again.

Even when he turned the ball over after making a save, he immediately made yet another save.

By the end of the third quarter, Wellesley’s momentum was beginning strangle the game. Three goals came in quick succession from Kerry Lyne, Saffery and Pedersen.

The final quarter of play was quiet, with Crane adding one more to round out the scoring at 7-0 before the game ended.